NRC Committee Review of Using Biosolids and Effluents in Food Crop Production

Abstract

Potential health effects as well as lack of compliance with existing regulatory requirements are frequently raised as concerns when projects are proposed to recycle biosolids on farmland used for the production of food crops for direct human consumption. These concerns were a primary focus of the report, ``Use of Reclaimed Water an Sludge in Food Crop Production,'' issued by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences in early 1996 (NRC, 1996). The three-year study was undertaken to help answer some of the questions that have been raised about the safety of crops grown in fields where treated municipal wastewater effluent or biosolids have been applied. It provides an independent assessment of the risks associated with these practices and provides recommendations for improving these recycling practices and their acceptance. The committee that conducted the study based its report on existing published literature and discussions with experts in the field. The study reviewed the current state of the practice, public health concerns, existing guidelines and regulations, and implementation issues. While the committee did not conduct a formal risk assessment of possible health effects, it did review the methods and procedures used by EPA in its extensive risk assessment which was the basis of the Part 503 rule. The National Research Council (NRC) report confirms the basis of Federal policy that properly treated and managed municipal wastewater effluents and biosolids can be safely and effectively used in food crop production, while presenting negligible risk to the craps, consumers, and the environment. To help address the persistent concerns regarding the potential for exposure to contaminants, nuisance problems and adequacy of oversight of programs involving agricultural use of biosolids, the report suggests that POTWs, private processors, distributors, and applicators should not only comply with all regulatory requirements and management practices, but also take extra steps to demonstrate such compliance to various stakeholders (e.g., neighbors, farmers, food processors, and consumers). It recommends full public participation, self-monitoring and reporting programs, and public education campaigns. The study report suggests that it is especially important that these public information efforts be continuing and detailed, as public awareness that safe practices are in fact being followed is necessary if monitoring by state or local entities is likely to be minimal.